Unit Overview

In this unit students will examine the Gospels as the accounts of Jesus’ life and teaching, and as testimonies to the faith of the early Church in Jesus as the Christ, as well as their significance in the lives of Christians today. The Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, wrote these accounts from their own perspectives, taking into account the oral tradition, the historical, social and political contexts of the communities to which they belonged, as well as the needs of their communities. Students will develop an understanding of the Biblical tradition of exegesis to identify the person of Jesus as presented by the Gospel writers, as well as points of comparison and contrast between the different Gospel accounts. They will also examine art and literary forms to assist them in responding to Jesus’ question – “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29).

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Enduring Understanding

That the Christian faith is centred on a personal encounter with the person of Jesus Christ, as presented in the Gospels.

Objectives

A student will

value and appreciate the nature of Scripture and its portrayal of the story of the people of God with particular emphasis on the significance of the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
develop knowledge and understanding of the nature of Scripture and its portrayal of the story of the people of God with particular emphasis on the significance of the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
use and interpret the Scriptures; think critically and reflectively on the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection

Outcomes

A student

provides an exegesis of a synoptic Gospel. (RECKA10)
analyses and classifies points of comparison and contrast between the synoptic Gospels. (RECSA10)
recognises the Gospels as an encounter with Jesus Christ. (RECVA10)

Essential Questions

Why are the Gospels significant?
Who do people say Jesus is?
Who do you say Jesus is?

Learning Focus & Statements of Learning

recognise and value the significance of the Gospels by
- exploring how they expressed the faith of the early Christian communities.
- considering them as the ‘living’ Good News which provide an encounter with Jesus Christ.
- examining their use by Christians and in Christian communities today.
- exploring Matthew 4:23-25 Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People; Luke 4:42-44 Jesus Preaches in the Synagogues; Mark 1:35-39 A Preaching tour in Galilee [Selected in the context of the Gospel of the Lectionary Cycle (Years A, B, C)].
deepen their understanding of the Gospels by
- investigating their authorship, social and historical contexts, and historical development.
- examining the principal themes, structural features and textual elements.
- analysing a Synoptic Gospel in depth.
- exploring A Synoptic Gospel that links with the Lectionary Cycle (Years A, B, C) of the calendar year.
engage in Christological enquiry by
- examining the different portraits of Jesus contained in the Gospels.
- examining depictions of Jesus through art and literary forms.
- reflecting on and responding to Jesus’ question, ‘Who do you say that I am?’
- exploring Matthew 16: 13-20 Peter’s Declaration about Jesus; Luke 9: 18-20 Peter’s Declaration about Jesus; Mark 8: 27-30 Peter’s Declaration about Jesus [Selected in the context of the Gospel of the Lectionary Cycle (Years A, B, C)].

Compulsory Scripture

Learning Focus 1:
Year A – Matthew 4:23-25: Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People
Year B – Luke 4:42-44: Jesus Preaches in the Synagogues
Year C – Mark 1:35-39: A Preaching tour in Galilee

Learning Focus 2: The Synoptic Gospel that links with the Lectionary Cycle (Years A,B,C) of the calendar year.

Learning Focus 3:
Year A – Matthew 16: 13-20: Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
Year B – Luke 9: 18-20: Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
Year C – Mark 8: 27-30: Peter’s Declaration about Jesus

Church Documents

CCC 51-55 The Revelation of God
CCC 65-66, 73 Christ Jesus – mediator and fullness of all revelation
CCC 101-141 Article 3 – Sacred Scripture
CCC 120-130 Canon of Scripture

KWL

TKWL Year 10:

Chapter 1: The Formation of the Gospels
Chapter 2: The Good News of Mark

Prayer

We Gather…as a community and prepare to hear the Word of God	CALL TO PRAYER Leader: God beyond all names and images, All: we come to you in faith. Leader: God in Christ with human face, All: we come to you in hope. Leader: God who moves, draws, forms and enlightens our life, All: We come to you in love. Father, Son and Spirit. God, the beginning and the end, you are our God.
We Listen… to the Word of God as it is proclaimed because Scripture is the heart of a liturgical celebration.	SCRIPTURE: Jesus eating with the sinners and the tax collectors Year A – Matthew 9: 9-13 The Call of Matthew Year B – Mark 2: 13-17 Jesus Calls Levi Year C – Luke 5: 27-32 Jesus Calls Levi
We Respond… with a ritual action such as a reflection on the Word, Prayers of the Faithful, Powerpoint, a ritual action and/or singing.	IMAGE: Seiger Koder- Whatsoever you do. REFLECTION: Hands at work, outstretched to welcome, comfort, heal, draw in. Each gesture speaking of Christ, touching wounds and healing pain. Each gesture touching Christ himself, hurting as we hurt, feeling as we feel: cold, hunger, thirst, loneliness, need. Through each gesture we are touched ourselves. Christ reaches out, made flesh through human kindness. ‘This is my body’- these broken bodies, these damaged lives. ‘This is my body’- these simple gestures of humble service. ‘This is my body’- Bread of compassion, broken for you, cup of hospitality offered to you. ‘Do this in memory of me’, And never forget, I have no hands but yours, no eyes or ears, no loving heart on earth but yours. Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there. Whatsoever you do to the least of these… Mine is the body you touch, mine the hands reaching out.
We Go Forth… into the world to do what we proclaim and to give witness to the fact that we are disciples and followers of Christ. Use a final prayer, a blessing, a song or hymn.	ALL: We Pray… Jesus, You are the face of God’s compassion hidden in each human life. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear the needs of our brothers and sisters. Give us loving and generous hearts, ready to reach out to you in every person we encounter in our lives. Amen Adapted from ‘Glimpses of the Divine, Gemma Simmonds. Pauline Books and Media. 2010. pp 48-51
Useful Links

General Capabilities

Australian Curriculum
Cross Curriculum Priorities		The General Capabilities
	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures		Critical and creative thinking
	Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia		Ethical understanding
	Sustainability		Information and communication technology capability
Other important learning identified by the NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA):			Intercultural understanding
	Civics and citizenship		Literacy
	Difference and diversity		Numeracy
	Work and enterprise		Personal and social capability

Life Skills

Religious Education for students studying a Life Skills program is developed from the unit outcomes, resulting in the Learning Focus and Statements of Learning. Students may demonstrate achievement of these learning statements independently or with support designed to meet the needs of the student. Such support may include:

the provision of extra time to complete tasks
physical and/or verbal assistance from others
the provision of technological support
the assistance of a scribe
participating in a group task
providing verbal or artistic responses along with written ones.

Outcome

A student

describes the purpose of a Synoptic Gospel and compares images of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. (LRECKSA10)

Content

A student studying a Life Skills program will be able to:

recognise and value the significance of the Gospels
- give an example of a story about Jesus and retell it.
- identify the author, audience and setting of this Gospel.
- describe one of Jesus’ messages and select and/or create an image to represent this.

Examples of Essential Questions

What do we find out about Jesus in the Gospels?

Examples of Teaching and Learning Experiences

LSA10 1.1

Students view The Good Shepherd (Parable of the Lost Sheep) and/or read Luke 15: 3-7 or Matthew 18: 12-14.
Students retell the story using their own words, pictures and images.

LSA10 1.2

Students view The Jesus Story GodTube video (3 minutes)
Students are asked to discuss: How do we know this’ Jesus Story’?

LSA10 1.3

Students select a favourite image/picture of Jesus (200 pictures of Jesus)
Students write a sentence to describe why they like this picture/image of Jesus?
What does this picture tell us about Jesus’ story?

References to KWL

TKWL Year 10:

Chapter 1: The Formation of the Gospels
Chapter 2: The Good News of Mark

Scripture

Luke 15:3-7
Matthew 18: 12-14

Supporting Documents

Learning Experience 1

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Learning Experience 2

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Learning Experience 3

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A10 – The Gospels

Unit Overview

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Enduring Understanding

Objectives

Outcomes

Essential Questions

Learning Focus & Statements of Learning

Compulsory Scripture

Church Documents

KWL

Prayer

General Capabilities

Life Skills

Outcome

Content

Examples of Essential Questions

Examples of Teaching and Learning Experiences

References to KWL

Scripture

Supporting Documents

Learning Experience 1

Learning Experience 2

Learning Experience 3

CONTACT

LINKS